Biography Of Peter Skene Ogden: Fur Trapping

1419 Words6 Pages

In the early 1800s as the United States of America began to expand west, fur trapping became a career choice for many men. One of the most iconic fur traders is Peter Skene Ogden, a Canadian was one of the most widely traveled in the Far West region. Due to his exceptional leadership, traveling, mapping, and fur trading skills; he was cause for the development of many civilizations that would later develop into cities. Although his main focus was trapping, Peter Ogden through diligent work, was paving a way for settlers to know what they were going to encounter out west. Through all the experiences that he encountered and the skill set that he demonstrated, shows why he was such a successful fur trader. The beginning of the article is an introduction giving a brief explanation of the expedition and the background of Peter Skene. It explains how Peter Ogden didn’t follow the career choice of law like his father and grandfather, but chose to be a traveler and trapper. It was evident that he was skilled in this profession as he was quickly promoted only after nine years. In the introduction, it also states how after an unsuccessful …show more content…

With the skills of mapping that William Kittson provided in while helping Mr. Ogden it allowed for the company that they worked for to document, where their business could send their other trappers to have success and also avoid any possible danger. Mapping along with journal keeping was probably one of the main reasons why Peter was one of the most traveled and successful fur traders in his time. Although he might have thought that mapping and writing his journal was only going to be a great resource for their fur business, but also in assisting the movement out west. After exploring these areas and keeping these detailed descriptions of all the variables that he came across, it better prepared him and travelers wanting to make their westward journey to explore and settle the vast